1. Pando poplar (about 80,000 years old)
At first glance, the aspen tree called Pando in Utah, USA looks like a forest. In fact, this forest has only a single tree dating back up to 80,000 years old and connected with more than 40,000 roots.
At first glance, the Pando aspen tree looks like a big forest. (Photo: Nature)
According to the USDA, the Pando poplar is one of the oldest and largest trees in the world. The entire forest of more than 43 hectares is all saplings that grow from a single mother tree. They are connected by dense roots in the ground. The lifespan of each of these trunks is about 130 years. In particular, each seedling is an identical copy, if a tree dies, their roots will continue to regenerate into a new tree in a nearby location.
2. Jurupa Oak (13,000 years old)
Jurupa Oak is the oldest oak tree in the world found in the Jurupa Mountains in Crestmore Heights, Riverside County, California, USA. Scientists estimate that it’s been around for at least 13,000 years, but it’s probably actually older.
Jurupa Oak grows as a population of 70 clusters of trunks about 1m high. (Photo: Nature)
Jurupa Oak was first discovered by botanist Mirch Provence in the 1990s. It develops into such a population only when a forest fire occurs and its burned branches sprout new shoots. The oak tree has about 70 clusters of trunks in a bush with an area of 25×8 m and a height of 1 m.
It is the only tree that lives in an area with a much drier climate and lower elevations than where Palmer oaks of the same type typically grow. On December 16, 2021, the World Records Union (WorldKings.org) officially announced the Jurupa Oak as the “World’s Oldest Palmer Oak”.
3. Old Tjikko Tree (9,550 years old)
The Old Tjikko tree that grows on the Fulufjället mountain of Sweden’s Dalarna province is a 9,550-year-old Norwegian spruce that is less than 5 meters tall. According to scientists, the Old Tjikko tree is still growing. They used the carbon isotope method to determine the age of the plant’s root system.
Old Tjikko tree is only nearly 5m tall but has lived for nearly 10,000 years. (Photo: Nature)
The main trunk is estimated to be only a few hundred years old, but this tree has survived much longer due to the use of cloning. Namely, it has taken cuttings that have fallen to the ground and taken root, or rooted cuttings from which a new stem will grow.
Before geologist Leif Kullman’s discovery in 2004, the Old Tjikko tree was still living anonymously. He then named it after his deceased dog.
4. Gran Abuelo Cypress (nearly 5,500 years old)
A team of Chilean researchers have found an ancient cypress tree more than 5,000 years old that is still alive in the country’s Alerce Costero National Park. The team used a combination of computational models and traditional methods to calculate the tree’s age. Thus, they calculated that this cypress tree was almost 5,500 years old.
The Gran Abuelo cypress in Chile is almost 5,500 years old. (Photo: Nature)
According to Dr. Jonathan Barichivich, the head of the research team, this method calculates up to 80% of the growth trajectory of a tree and only 20% of the chance that the tree has a lower age than calculated.
The discovery was later published, and the ancient cypress was nicknamed “Gran Abuelo”, which means Great-grandfather. This cypress has been recognized as a national monument in Chile.
5. Methuselah pine (nearly 5,000 years old)
The Methuselah pine in Inyo National Forest Park in California, USA is considered the world’s longest living tree. Scientists estimate its age to be about 4,853 years old. They were also surprised that this pine tree still survived well despite growing in a poor soil, and the temperature around the area was always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
The Methuselah pine has lived in extremely harsh conditions for nearly 5,000 years. (Photo: Nature)
The Methuselah tree is named after Noah’s grandfather, the last patriarch before the Deluge, who lived to be 969 years old. Schulman – the person who first discovered this tree decided to use the name Methuselah to name the pine tree.
Source: NatGeo, Smithsonianmag, The Guardian
